Flyers’ offense rejuvenated in 5-2 win over Kraken – The Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

Hockey fans in the Pacific Northwest could be forgiven for having Monday night off. On paper, the Seattle Kraken’s regular season against middling cross-country opponents like the Philadelphia Flyers was no less impressive than the Seattle Mariners’ efforts to reach Game 7 for the first time and their first World Series berth in nearly 50 years.

However, there is some excitement for those following the Xfinity Mobile Arena action. Top-10 2024 prospect Berkly Catton, who made his NHL debut with Jared McCann out of the lineup due to injury, joins top-10 prospects Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle at the top of the list. But ultimately, fans would be better off watching baseball instead when the early second quarter begins. The two goals, just 33 seconds apart, helped the Flyers take control of the game. The Flyers ended up winning 5-2, winning three of four games in their first homestand of the season.

game review

After holding the Flyers to fewer than 20 shots in consecutive games, Monday’s game got off to an unexpectedly wide start. There were turnovers and rushing opportunities aplenty before the first TV timeout, with players up and down both lineups coming close to taking advantage. But the biggest mistakes came from the goaltenders, both of which resulted in each team’s first turnover.

In a game where Dan Vladař had the puck in his glove for the overtime winner, he made an ill-advised backhand pass to Carton just over seven minutes into the game. Seconds later, Vladař scooped the puck out of the net, Cale Fleury’s deflected shot bounced off Eberle to give Seattle an early lead, and Carton notched his first NHL score with a second assist.

Even though Christmas is still two months away, Joey Daccord decided to join in the spirit of devotion with his fellow network administrators. While Vlada was too quick to move the puck, Daccord’s gaffe came from too much patience and Sean Couturier nearly wiped the puck off his stick. Nick Seeler’s shot was partially blocked and the ball slid towards the left point, but not enough to prevent it from finding the red-hot Owen Tippett. Tippett joined Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny ​​on the top line and put the puck in the cage on its way to light the lamp for the fourth straight game, tying the best streak of his career (set Nov. 10-18, 2023).

Tyson Foerster may not have appreciated having already surpassed the Flyers’ longest scoring streak in the opening three games of the season, but he gave the Flyers the lead a few minutes later with a power-play goal. But don’t think that’s all going to go well with Philly’s manpower advantage. They spent 2 minutes and 29 seconds at 5-on-4 during this period, and while they did score a goal, they also successfully took penalties, allowed a 2-on-1, and allowed a breakaway. Vladař took two chances to bail them out (and a bouncing puck that escaped John Hayden’s reach), but it wasn’t pretty.

However, only one team was able to carry their strong offense into the second quarter. The Flyers chased the Kraken into the break, with Tippett and the vaunted line-up of Foster, Noah Cates and Bobby Brink creating chances early. But it was the Flyers’ two sluggish Russians, Matvey Michkov and Yegor Zamura, who really made things happen. Two cross-ice passes in a rush between the two led to a backdoor goal by Travis Konecny, a three-way cathartic spell. Zamura has dealt with healthy scratches in two of the previous three games. Michkov was often benched in tense third quarters and overtimes. Konecny’s scoring woes in the second half of last season have continued into the new season. Then, in one gorgeous scene, all frustration melts away.

Rather than respond with offense, Seattle returned to the penalty kill less than 30 seconds later, with Hayden taking a rough penalty in a rather tight contest that included a heated first-quarter tussle between Fleury and Nikita Graybenkin. This time, the Flyers scored a goal that required no warning; they quickly got into position and extended their lead to 4-1 on a pass from Noah Cates.

Seattle didn’t show it, but their personnel advantage was answered quickly. Jani Nyman got a steal on the power play in the first period thanks to a strong lateral push from Vladař, but he had no chance this time thanks to a silky set by Matty Beniers. However, the Flyers kept the momentum going, restoring their three-goal lead after Tippett’s second goal of the night. Yes, this one does smell a little bit, as Daccord could certainly come up with a short-side wrister that barely made it over the goal line. But a guy who shoots as often as Tippett could definitely use some rest, especially when he hits the net, and especially now that he has the heater on.

There were some fireworks in the third period, namely the battle between Ryan Lindgren and Travis Konecny ​​after Tye Carty was stung by Tippett’s hard hit. But the Kraken never threatened the Flyers’ three-goal advantage, allowing the home team to slip away with its most dominant performance of the new season.

The Flyers still have a lot of home games coming up, but they’ll take a quick detour north to face the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. Seattle suffered its first loss of the regular season in this game, but will face the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night in the fifth game of a six-game road trip that ties the season.